Tempe Elementary Schools Homecoming: Debra Woodrum
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Guest Writer: Debra Woodrum
In celebration of Tempe Elementary Schools' 150th school year, we're spotlighting some of our incredible staff members who got their start right here in the district. Today, we're handing the pen over to Curry Elementary teacher Debra Woodrum to share her thoughts on her time as a student in Tempe Elementary Schools and how those cherished times brought her back to the district.
Planting Roots
My family moved to Arizona when I was in 2nd grade. We settled in Tempe and I was enrolled at Rural School. I finished 2nd grade at Rural where I met a girl who ended up being a neighbor. We've been best friends since 2nd grade and recently celebrated our 51st birthdays together.
My favorite (and also somehow least favorite) memory was having to learn how to square dance in 3rd grade for the school musical "How the West Was Really Won." Mrs. Murphy was my 3rd grade teacher, and as I've found out through connections and friendships from other former Rural Raiders, she was a teacher in Tempe Elementary Schools for many, many years, beginning in the late 1960s.
Around 1983 came the sad news that Rural School was closing. Where Rural School once stood is now the Sanchez District Office and a Fry's Grocery on the corner of Southern and Rural.
Broadmor Memories
After completing 3rd grade, I was transferred to Broadmor Elementary where I completed 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. I absolutely loved Broadmor School. I loved my teachers and the building and classrooms with their huge windows. I loved yelling at the junior high kids across the street when we were outside for recess. I loved climbing the trees on the playground and living close enough to school to be able to ride my bike every day instead of having Mom drop me off.
My brother also attended Broadmor and fondly remembers celebrating Cowboy Day in Kindergarten, a tradition that continues today. I won the school spelling bee in 5th grade and went to the regional spelling bee, where I went out on the word "succeed." The irony of that is not lost on me. In 4th or 5th grade, our music teacher was allowed to choose four students to take to an evening concert featuring Pavarotti. She picked us all up in her car and we drove to Gammage Auditorium. It was my first taste of opera, and I think Pavarotti's first experience performing in front of an audience of mostly kids who were very loudly enthusiastic.
McKemy Memories
McKemy is a blur of hating P.E. and having chocolate milkshakes everyday for lunch. I was a member of the Tiger Band. It was my first experience of performing music in front of an audience since piano recitals when I was six. The band and music teachers instilled a love for music that continues to this day.
I loved my art teacher Mr. Mendia. Because of him, I can still draw a pretty amazing open-sided cube. Mrs. Jimenez taught English, and she made us memorize a little song to learn all of the linking verbs. I can still sing it, and I teach the same song to my students to help them remember. Mrs. Faux had us read A Tale of Two Cities which I thought would be incredibly boring. I was wrong. It is still one of my favorite novels.
Coming Home
I have lived in Tempe since I was a little kid. When it came time to look for a place to teach, I had an amazing opportunity present itself in Phoenix, where my mother also taught. But after 20 years of teaching in Phoenix, I realized I really wanted to teach closer to home. I really wanted to be in a neighborhood school that was MY neighborhood, and to live, work, and vote in the same place.
Tempe Elementary Schools are true, old-fashioned neighborhood schools. They are located literally across the street from homes where our students live. The other day I was shopping at Aldi and Target and I heard "Ms. Woodrum!" about ten times. I realized that those sorts of encounters with families and students are incredibly special, and they're only possible when you work and live in the same neighborhood. (The five-minute commute is also a big plus!)
Tempe Elementary Schools really cares about students, teachers, and families. At Curry Elementary, where I teach first grade, I feel like a very important part of a hard-working, compassionate, and professional team. We truly love our students and put them first. We fill an invaluable role in the community as a whole and in the lives of our students and their families, as we partner with them to strive for success.
Learn more about Tempe Elementary School’s legacy of excellence at our 150th Anniversary event on Saturday, April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Sanchez Administration Building on Rural and Southern. More details to come at tempeschools.org/ourlegacy.
About Tempe Elementary Schools
Tempe Elementary School comprises 22 small, neighborhood elementary and middle schools in Tempe, Arizona. We Tempe Elementary is committed to providing a welcoming, achieving, eye-opening, and future-ready preschool to 8th grade education to free the boundless potential in each child - so they are fully prepared to embrace the opportunities of tomorrow and excel for a lifetime. Learn more about Tempe Elementary Schools.